Yonhap reports on the DPRK’s efforts to create an education endowment:

North Korea, which is marking the 60th anniversary of its foundation this year, has stepped up efforts to improve educational facilities across the country with help from foreign countries and overseas Koreans, a pro-Pyongyang Korean-language daily in Japan said Monday.

The program is being actively supported by Australian, Swiss, Vietnamese and Finish charitable funds as well as Korean residents in Canada, said the daily of Chongryon, or the pro-Pyongyang Association of Korean Residents in Japan.

Much of the funding is being used to construct a new building for Koryo Songgyungwan, a university of light industry in Kaesong, south of Pyongyang, and modernize educational facilities at Kimchaek University of Technology with a history of 60 years in Pyongyang, according to the report.

When I visited the DPRK in 2005 for the “60th anniversary of the end of Japanese colonialism (aka the end of WWII),” I picked up a brochure from this foundation—scans below:

(Click on images to view)

It is interesting to notice just how much they have learned from the Western non-profit world, including how to reward donors:

“KEF acknowledges and appraises the donations from contributors in different ways such as citation, issue of certificates, availability on publications, and arranging visit to project sites as well as tourism.”

Contributions are not tax deductible.

UPDATE: I have not had a chance to review all this material yet, but here are some more links:

Pyongyang, June 7 [2005] (KCNA) — The Korea Education Fund (KEF) has been established. It is a legal non-governmental organization for public interests. Its mission is to regulate and strengthen financial and material support necessary to develop education in accordance with the requirement of the times.

Many Koreans at home and abroad and famous political, public and educational figures and organizations have rendered a lot of material and financial backing to the DPRK in its educational work, proceeding from the lofty humanitarianism of loving peace and valuing the future.

It has made a contribution to the improvement of educational conditions and the balanced development of education.

And many figures have advanced a proposal to establish an organization in the form of humanitarian fund for the purpose of strengthening the support to the educational work and have exerted efforts to realize it. Their efforts have resulted in founding the Fund in January last through an agreement and working procedure with parties concerned.

The Fund does not fix the regional limit in general activities such as raising fund and performing support. And it decides personnel selection according to relevant program and the agreed plan on specific objects, transcending the differences in political view, religious belief, race, nationality and sex.

The KEF welcomes all donators at home and abroad who are based on good intentions and voluntary principle.

Its support will be given mainly to the insufficient educational apparatuses and school things, improvement of infrastructure of educational establishments and studying conditions at schools and to training of personnel.

The KEF regards it as a supreme principle of its work to ensure trust in donators, receivers and volunteers. And it respects all those at home and abroad that join the assistance directly or indirectly and positively cooperates with them.

It organizes the work of recognizing and appreciating the donators and volunteers in accordance with the will of receivers and the principle of the Fund’s activity. Such activities include citation, issue of certificate, hanging of board, introduction through publications and organization of tour of the objects and scenic spots.

The KEF has its accounts in the Koryo Commercial Bank and overseas agent banks.

The KEF will be conducive to developing education in the country and rearing well the rising generation, the future of the humankind. (Fax: 0085-02-3814410, E-mail: [email protected])